April 23, 2013

Italian supernatural sludge sorcerers Ufomammut hit the road again in support of their Neurot Recordings debut LP, ORO - which was released in two parts Opus Primum and Opus Alter in 2012. The tour begins in Frankfurt tomorrow and will also take in London's Desertfest and culminates at Poland's infamous Asymmetry Festival.

The band's sixth full-length boasts the most gargantuan and expansive material the trio have constructed to date. As with all previous Ufomammut albums, the concepts behind ORO are multi-faceted, mutating the Italian palindrome which translates to "gold" with the Latin translation of "I prey." ORO explores the concept of knowledge and its power; the magical stream controlled by the human mind to gain control of every single particle of the world surrounding us. ORO is the alchemical process to transform the human fears into pure essence; into Gold. Although ORO's two chapters were released months apart from each other, they must be considered as a single track in which the musical themes and the sounds appear and reappear, mutate and evolve, progressively culminating in the crushing final movement. ORO is an alchemic laboratory in which substances are flowing, dividing and blending themselves in ten increments from the alembics and stills, culminating into the creation of Gold.

"You don't get to be called space-doom without being pretty out-there as it is, but even by Ufomammut's standards, the opening track of the Italian trio's sixth album is a surprise. Charting the point equidistant between Pink Floyd, Vangelis and LTJ Bunkem, Empireum sounds like the lost broadcast of an ancient alien civilisation (one that has a penchant for doom metal, obviously) Things get more grounded with the churning, planet-sized riffs and death-march drumming of Aureum and Infearnatural - but, in the background, distorted chants, wails and radio inference accompanied by swaths of analogue, and unsettling, unearthliness. With a sprinkling of melody here and there, Ufomammut are smart enough to know that, when it comes to heaviness, it's all about dynamics: when to leave a listener floating weightlessly, and when to set the controls for the heart of the sun. Apparently, this is just the first instalment of a two-part suite. It looks set to be a fantastic voyage. Truly cosmic." - 4/5 REVIEW GUARDIAN FILM AND MUSIC

"While it’s normally a bit of a daft but understandable practice marking albums out of ten, it simply won’t wash with UFOmammut, an insanely heavy Italian spacerock trio who have recently signed to Neurosis’ label. If you were to walk out of your front door and notice that buses, trains and tower blocks were being sucked into a supermassive black hole overhead there wouldn’t be any point in ranking it using the pitchfork system or awarding the interstellar gravity aberration a thumbs up, thumbs down or a middling hand waver because it simply exists in a higher realm of awesomeness." - VICE - ∞/10 REVIEW

"ORO has proved that the band also excel through similarly gargantuan scales of duration and depth" - ROCK A ROLLA

April 16, 2013

Today the rock ‘n’ doom derelicts at The Obelisk bring forth “7 Days,” the first official track premiere from Arkansas southern rock rabble-rousers IRON TONGUE. The tune comes by way of the band’s forthcoming The Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown debut. Produced by renowned audio sage Billy Anderson (Melvins, Sleep, Neurosis, etc) at IRON TONGUE guitarist Jason Tedford’s Wolfman Studios, the seven track offering is set for release via Neurot Recordings on May 27th in Europe and May 28th in North America.

Fronted by Chris “CT” Terry, the founding frontman of sludge legion Rwake, IRON TONGUE formed when a group of veteran players with diverse musical backgrounds found a common interest in the need to get down and dirty and way, way gone. Featuring CT alongside guitarists Jason Tedford and Mark Chiaro, bassist Andy Warr, drummer Stan James, keyboardist JR Top and backing vocalist Stephanie Smittle, IRON TONGUE offer up a thick, soulful blend of girthy, heavy-amped, blues-based rock. IRON TONGUE aren't singing of magical moonlit escapades. These are songs of true hurt, regret and despair reminiscent of everything from the proto-metal stomp of Blue Cheer and Grand Funk to the darkest hours of Kiss, Deep Purple, Buddy Guy and ‘Skynyrd.

Comments The Obelisk: “…the album…makes no bones about establishing its own context and working on its own merits in establishing an atmosphere and constructing a genuine sonic breadth out of slow riffs, organic production, Southern woes and heaviness that goes beyond the tonal. As a piece of the whole, I think ‘7 Days’ represents these aspects well.”

Adds Stan James of the number: “‘7 Days’ is one of the first songs we wrote when we started… It’s one of our favorites and we’re glad to give everybody a sample of the album before it comes out. We’ll have another up for everybody soon!”

AMENRA are themselves a powerful force, who can leave audiences stunned into silence, as the intensity of their live performance lingers long after they have left the stage. Check out the full listings below, and please note that there have been many new additions.

In other news, AMENRA are recording right now at Hearse studio for a
release that will see the light of day in early summer. people should
keep a close eye on Facebook or www.ritualofra.com.

The band have also made this limited 'Pater Noster' (see image to the left), that in fact is a custom wooden AMENRA rosary plus a COR flash drive containing the unreleased audio they are currently recording. CHVE comments "we initially started off from the Mass V album, and let it have it's way with us. We worked, reworked, processed and recorded extra layers and textures to this new ambient 'Messe'" - so there you have it! The drive will also include unseen live video footage (AB V releaseshow etc.), visuals, writings and plenty more. They're currently working on new videos and artwork with Jeroen Mylle to support the whole project. More information and exact release date will be revealed in good time. For more information, visit their official page, here.

April 5, 2013

For thirteen years now, the Neurot Recordings family has not only survived, but has thrived, especially in recent years, the label’s flourishing roster of forward-thinking artists constantly expanding. Amidst releases from internationally-renowned acts Ufomammut, Isis, Shrinebuilder and of course Neurosis, the clan has also aided in exposing impressive acts from the more underground corners of the scene including Across Tundras, US Christmas, Ides of Gemini, Oxbow, A Storm of Light, Amenra and others. Along the way the members of Neurosis, founders of Neurot, have also spawned an incredible lineage of solo recordings, performances, and joint collaborations amongst themselves and with a close-knit band of other dedicated artists.

Marking the origin of Neurot Recordings was one seminal release which has remained out-of-print for years, but As The Crow Flies -- the debut solo recording from Neurosis’ STEVE VON TILL — will soar once again this Spring, as the label prepares a reissue of this seminal outing. This nearly forty-five minute composition bore a vast contrast to Neurosis’ massive, plodding riffing and percussion, instead feeling more like a mental excursion into the outer realms of consciousness; an ambient, eclectic, organic and overall honest harvest from the mind of its creator.

Bearing updated artwork and packaging, Neurot will unveil a 2013 reissue of As The Crow Flies in Europe on May 13th and in North American on May14th, precisely thirteen years since its initial release.

April 3, 2013

Los Angeles’ favorite trance-inducing doom weavers IDES OF GEMINI are pleased to announce additional live rituals this Spring, further spreading their ethereal hymns to unsuspecting souls throughout North America.

The supplementary dates come in the midst of their slot on the Haze Over North America tour opening for cult metalists, Ghost B.C., and will include Demon Lung, Boris and Deafhaven on select shows. See the updated itinerary below.

In related news, IDES OF GEMINI will release a new 7” entitled Hexagram 45. Fittingly set to drop on Record Store Day April 20th via Magic Bullet Records, Hexagram 45 features two new tracks: "Spectral Queen" and "Darkness At Noon." For more info, got to THIS LOCATION.

IDES OF GEMINI will be touring in support of their transcendental doom masterwork, Constantinople. Released stateside via Neurot Recordings last Spring, Constantinople was fittingly commended by Outburn for its “depressing dynamics topped by ethereal wonderment,” and called, “…a dirg-y doom crawl of an album…,” by Decibel. Pitchfork crowned it, “darkly beautiful,” while MetalSucks applauded the offering noting, “Their accretion of small musical gestures inverts metal’s normal use of space. They imply terror without ever exposing it. Each song is an accumulation of outlines, a sort of sonic daguerreotype.” Spin agreed stating, “Processional doom, ethereal female harmonies and high-strung riffs incite head-bowing, not –banging,” while About.com noted: “…a proverbial treasure chest in terms of atmosphere, ideas and contrasting musical textures…original and breathtaking.” Purchase Constantinople at THIS LOCATION today!